The Constant Velocity of Trains

Author Lea Deschenes' collection of honest, inquisitive poetry takes readers on a tour from the front steps in her native New England to uncharted jungles and beyond the edge of the universe, accompanied by Einstein, Marcus Aurelius and Rumi. Poetically, she balances precise craft with heartfelt meaning. From studies of a culture moving at the speed of light to meditations upon capital-L Love, The Constant Velocity of Trains finds its heart in relativity: the intersecting, interlocking, and often exasperating perspectives that make up reality. Lea Deschenes is flirting with perfection. It’s taken much too long for her words to reach a larger audience, an audience that’s been searching fruitlessly for what her work has always offered – bold glimpses of what exhilarates, frightens and moves us. -Patricia Smith, “Blood Dazzler” Lea Deschenes throws the well-aimed stone of her poetry through the glass houses of hypocrisy and human coldness... she is at all times intelligent, tender, and wedded to the quest for self-knowledge...There's wisdom at work, and at play, in this book. -Alicia Ostriker, “No Heaven" every poem feels entirely free to find its own voice, its own form. ...this latest volume adds an absolute precision in charting our emotional minefields; a wisdom and a surety of touch that make these poems utterly convincing. -Jack McCarthy, “Good Night”